Trauma Outreach Program Significantly Impacts Distracted Driving at Local High Schools

Introduction: Distracted driving is endemic in our digital world. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported 3,211 fatal crashes resulting from distracted driving in 2021. Our trauma center decided to address this endemic in area high schools. We hypothesized a high school educational campaign would decrease student distracted driving rates. Materials and Methods: Following institutional review board approval and permission from the high schools’ administration, investigators were stationed in each school's parking lot to determine baseline rates of distracted driving. The trauma department, in cooperation with the respective schools’ guidance programs, provided a 2-week awareness campaign that culminated with an educational presentation by a trauma surgeon. Following the campaign, the same investigation technique was used to reassess distracted driving. The pre- and post-intervention groups were compared with a logistic regression model. Results: A total of 760 vehicles were initially observed identifying 204 (27%) distracted drivers. In the post-intervention group, 730 vehicles were observed, with 119 (16%) drivers distracted. We found a significant decrease in distracted driving after the campaign ( P < 0.01). Gender was unrelated to distraction rates ( P = 1.0). The most common distraction was using a cell phone (43.6%). Conclusion: An awareness campaign targeting high school students resulted in a significant decrease in distracted driving. Cell phones were the most common distraction prior to and following the campaign. Trauma outreach is a key component of a trauma center and can positively impact a community.